4 FanDuel Premier League Studs to Target for Matchweek 16

Diego Costa has a mouth-watering matchup against Sunderland. Which other high-priced players are in a good spot?

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on high-priced studs, the players in which you’ve made the biggest investment. This especially true with strikers in soccer as goals are often the difference between winning and losing in DFS.

Let’s take a look at some high-priced players -- all across the pitch -- who, despite costing a good chunk of change, are worth the investment.

This article is geared toward the U.S.-based Premier League DFS, and it is for Wednesday's slate. That slate starts at 2:45 p.m. EST and features eight matches.

Matchweek 16

Wednesday, December 13th

Swansea at West Brom

Hull City at Tottenham

Chelsea at Sunderland

Liverpool at Middlesbrough

Bournemouth at West Ham

Manchester United at Crystal Palace

Southampton at Stoke City

Watford at Manchester City

Let's get to it.

Forward

Diego Costa, Chelsea

FanDuel Salary: $13,400

He's going to be so chalky, but Costa is in a great spot this week against lowly Sunderland.

Let's put the matchup on hold and discuss just how good Costa has been this season. If the Blues have scored in a match this season, their star striker has accounted for either a goal or an assist in that match. He's only been held without a goal or assist in two matches this year, and Chelsea were blanked in both fixtures. He's averaging 31.9 FanDuel points per game, totaling 12 goals and 5 assists in 15 appearances.

Now, about that matchup -- it's nearly perfect. It's first versus last, and Chelsea are a massive favorite (as high as -350 on the moneyline on some sites) as you would expect. The Black Cats are allowing the third-most shots per match (18.9) and have the third-worst possession rate (41.5%). Chelsea, meanwhile, is getting off 15.3 shots per game, the third-most in the league, and 63% of those shots are coming from within the penalty area -- which is Costa territory.

Unsurprisingly, Costa has the best odds to score -- by a wide margin -- and he's a fantastic play this week in a match Chelsea should dominate.

Midfielder

Christian Eriksen, Tottenham

FanDuel Salary: $10,400

Chelsea have the day's best matchup, but Tottenham is right behind them thanks to their home date with Hull City. Eriksen is averaging 27.0 FanDuel points per game, and in his last home match against a bottom-to-the-table-type team (Swansea), he put up 81.5 FanDuel points with two goals, one assist and seven chances created.

As the midfield hub for Spurs, Eriksen has excelled at creating chances this year, being credited with 37 chances created, the third-most in the league. His 21 shots on target pace the EPL, and he's averaging 50.7 passes per contest. Eriksen also takes direct free kicks and sends in corners, giving him plenty of opportunities to make things happen.

Tottenham is a huge favorite (-450) over Hull, who leads the league in time spent in their defensive third (34%). Eriksen should see plenty of the ball, and he has a huge ceiling in this one.

Defender

Curtis Davies, Hull City

FanDuel Salary: $6,000

Sticking with the same match, with Spurs expected to run roughshod over Hull City, Davies is an attractive play. If you're looking for the upside of a defender who could score a goal, both Spurs fullbacks -- Danny Rose and Kyle Walker -- fit the bill, but Davies has a superb floor when Hull is a big underdog.

In four matches against top clubs Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea -- matches which are similar to Wednesday's clash with Tottenham -- Davies has averaged 23.12 FanDuel points. For the season, he is averaging 7.9 clearances, 3.8 interceptions and 1.5 tackles per match. He should be very active in this one, and that gives him a very safe floor.

Goalie

Lee Grant, Stoke City

FanDuel Salary: $6,600

Admittedly, this is a tough slate for goalies as some of the options -- Hugo Lloris and Thibaut Courtois, for example -- may be in line for a clean sheet, but they're unlikely to be required to make many saves. With that in mind, we'll look at Lee Grant, whose Stoke side hosts Southampton in a match listed as a pick 'em.

Among active goalies on Wednesday's slate, Grant checks in fourth in FanDuel points per game (14.0). Prior to last week's 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, Grant had been in good form, allowing just three goals over his previous five matches, including two clean sheets.

Southampton ranks fifth in shots per game (15.5), and they come into this one with a decided edge over Stoke in possession (53.3% to 47.8%). Despite the solid offensive numbers, the Saints have only scored five goals over their last six matches (across all competitions). So Grant should be busy, giving him a nice floor, and unless the Saints turn around their goal-scoring form, he may have a shot at a clean sheet, too.